


On Each Other's Team

by FaeMelody



Category: Waterloo Road (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:00:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27194806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FaeMelody/pseuds/FaeMelody
Summary: When Rachel runs from Eddie outside the pub, neither realise they've been overheard. But Eddie soon finds out, and is read the riot act by a rather unexpected interested party. Only he's stinging from Rachel's rejection, and harsh words may not be enough to change things.
Relationships: Eddie Lawson/Rachel Mason
Comments: 3
Kudos: 5





	On Each Other's Team

It should have been raining. It was an odd thought, one that Eddie couldn’t stop from crossing his mind as he watched Rachel flee from him, too stunned and horrified to do anything but stare after her, rooted into place. Out of all the thoughts swirling in his head, however, it was the only one that was coherent. Didn’t it always rain in films when scenes like this happened?

“You are a _complete_ idiot.”

It took him a second to process. Once he had, he turned, a little stunned, to see Steph Haydock glaring at him from the doorway of the pub, arms crossed and a scowl on her face.

“Excuse me?”

“You, Edward Lawson, are a complete and utter, grade A idiot.” She enunciated, stepping outwards and he could practically feel the slices of the daggers she sent his way. “What in God’s name were you thinking?”

“I… you…” He looked back in the direction Rachel had gone in, before pinning the blonde with a glare. “Were you eavesdropping?”

“Of course I was!” She waved a hand in the air. “We’ve all had money on the two of you since practically the week she started! But I never thought you’d be stupid enough to try it on tonight!”

He wasn’t sure whether to feel sick or angry, so settled for a nice combination of both. “This is really none of your business.” He tried to move past her, back into the pub where he could hear a pint calling him, but she stepped in front of him and put her hands on her hips.

“Now you listen to me.” Her eyes narrowed, and. “What in God’s name were you thinking?”

“Steph…”

She ignored him. “The last thing that woman needed was you to pull this tonight! Why would you think it was a good idea?”

Eddie spluttered. He was thoroughly off-guard, utterly baffled and seriously wondering what had been in his drink earlier. “What are you talking about? And why are you even talking about it? Rachel is fine-,”

She scoffed loudly, and cut him off. “You know I am not friends with that woman,” she said, waving a hand towards where Rachel had disappeared. “But it doesn’t take a genius to work out she shouldn’t have been anywhere near work today. And not only did she come in, which took amazing courage I might say, she ended up staring down the barrel of a bloody gun and put her life at risk for the second time in two months. Then still came to the pub even though I suspect it was the last place on earth she wanted to be. And you decided it would be the perfect time to make a move?”

He gaped at her. Since when did Steph Haydock empathise with other people, and voice that? “Rachel was fine to be in work,” he defended, managing to find his tongue before he could process the rest of what she’d said. She scoffed again.

“She was in a coma one month ago! I might not be a doctor but even I know there’s no way she should have been in a school full of teenagers. When did she even come out of hospital?” Eddie hesitated, and her jaw dropped. “Did you even bother to ask?”

“She said she was fine!”

She looked at him disbelievingly. “And you took her at face value?”

Eddie set his jaw. “This is not an appropriate conversation.”

“Screw appropriate!” she said fiercely and he had to keep his jaw from dropping again. It sounded like she actually cared about Rachel and when the bloody hell had that happened? And how? “You need a good slap upside the head, and I don’t see anyone else lining up!”

“Steph…”

“Listen to me.” She stepped closer, made a concerted effort to calm her voice and Eddie wondered if he’d entered the twilight zone without noticing. “Eddie, I know a little something about relationships, and about trauma. Rachel… whatever issues she and I may have, I’m woman enough to admit that she has balls of steel. Even without the fire, coming back to school today took guts, knowing what everyone knows about her. Factor in everything else? I’m stunned she’s still standing.”

Eddie could practically feel himself shrinking under her gaze. “I know,” he agreed quietly, and she cocked an eyebrow at him.

“Do you? Because if you did, there’s no way you would have pushed her like you did tonight.”

“I just wanted-,”

“Exactly!” She jabbed her finger into his shoulder. “YOU wanted. Not a thought given to her, to what she needed was there?”

He opened his mouth to argue… and faltered. Because she was right. He had been so intent on forcing Rachel to talk, to confront her over whatever was between them, he hadn’t given a thought to everything else that had gone on. He had spent a lot of the summer lamenting their lost opportunity, had formed an entire plan of what their first day back would look like and desperately tried to salvage something despite the disaster the day had turned into. Apparently, as he realised all this, his face was more expressive than he liked, because Steph’s gaze had softened. “Eddie, I know you care about her. You tried to run into a burning building after her, for heaven’s sake. Is waiting a little longer for her to be ready such a big deal?”

His own voice turned sharp. “How do you know she’s not ready?”

“Oh yes, she’s clearly someone ready to enter into a romantic relationship with her deputy.” She shot him a look. “Grow up.”

Eddie sagged, stumbled to sit against the wall. “But she was ready, Steph. Before everything kicked off, she and I had plans…”

She eyed the floor distastefully, but settled herself next to him nonetheless, resigned to the role she’d thrust herself into. “Dating plans?”

“We didn’t say as much. But… it was insinuated,” he admitted.

“And then her biggest secret was revealed in front of everyone, the school blew up and she received life-threatening injuries,” she said flatly. “I’m thinking some things might have changed.”

Eddie stared at his shoes, and he couldn’t have looked more like a moody teenager if he’d tried. He’d seen the expression in Rachel’s eyes, he thought. Before she got spooked, she had wanted it as much as he had. Right up until he had practically watched the shutters come down and she had shied away from him. Until she’d rejected him, and made it quite clear what she thought of the matter in the process.

“Eddie?”

He leant his head backwards. “If you’re so wise, what do you suggest then?”

Men. Steph fought the urge to roll her eyes, took a deep breath to keep from snapping at him. “Be her friend first,” she suggested, a little tersely. “Before attempting to jump into her knickers, try showing her you care. And then let her show you when she’s ready for more.”

He scoffed. “I think she made it quite clear what she feels about ‘more’.”

“Don’t be a twat.”

He whipped his head round to gape at her, only to find a glower set into her expression. “Eddie, you listen and you listen good. That woman has been through hell, and I don’t think she’s made it all the way back yet. But I saw how she acted earlier and that is not someone who doesn’t feel- if anything, she feels too much, about everything. The last thing she needs is you acting like one of the kids.” She wondered, somewhat seriously, if actually slapping him was going too far. “I can’t even imagine what she’s going through, and for me to realise it, it must be bad.”

“What does that have to do with-”

“Imagine how she must feel,” she interrupted. “If you can manage it. To be scarred so badly is one thing, but for the reminder it must be? Of the fire, of Stuart Hordley, of that entire day? Imagine what it must be like to have that seared into your skin? Especially for someone like Rachel.”

His head snapped to up so quickly she thought he might have hurt something. “Someone like Rachel?”

She held her hands up. “Don’t jump down my throat, I didn’t mean it like that. But I’m sure you won’t deny that she’s attractive, and at one point at least used her body to get what she wanted. She’s used to looking and being viewed a certain way and now that’s been taken from her. Good God, did her display earlier really not tell you anything?”

He looked away, down at his hands. “She’d be mortified if she knew you know.”

“I have no intention of telling her,” she answered swiftly. “Do you?”

“Of course not.” He sighed, and ran his hands through his hair before he pinned her with a look. “Who are you and what have you done with Steph Haydock?”

She cackled with laughter.

“No, seriously. The teacher I know is a clueless, self-absorbed narcissist. Who’s now giving me advice on Rachel, someone you hate.”

“I don’t hate her.” She rolled her eyes. “We don’t necessarily agree on a lot, or have the same outlook, but… I can respect her. And I have a lot of money on you two, I’m invested in you ending up together.”

Amusement flickered through him. “That sounds more like it.” He levered himself to his feet, and ever the gentlemen, helped her up off of the floor as well. She caught his arm before he could turn away, and pinned him with a serious look.

“Don’t blow it, Eddie,” she said quietly. “You’re a good man, and Rachel knows that. She cares about you as well, anyone could see it.”

He didn’t want to talk about this anymore. Didn’t want to think of Rachel, of the fire or everything that had happened that day. Eddie inclined his head, forced a flippant tone. “I’ll cede to your much greater knowledge.”

She patted his arm. “Glad to hear. In the morning, apologise to her, and for God’s sake mean it. But for now, come buy me a drink.”

Now that sounded more like the Steph he knew.

**W.R.**

Rachel had always liked school. Well, maybe not always- not on the cold winter mornings, when she’d had to drag both herself and her sister out of warm beds, or on those beautiful summer’s days when the outside had been so much more appealing than a stuffy classroom. But overall, she had never resented going.

It had been Amanda’s escape. From a father who didn’t deserve the title, from the grief surrounding her mother’s death, from the house she hated and the people in it she despised. And then she’d left, drowning in a sea of loneliness and pain and responsibility that no child should have, only to realise too late what a mistake that had been.

Amanda had never returned to walk a school corridor- instead, Rachel had, though now as a teacher, determined not to let another child go through what she had. She couldn’t save every child from their home life, but she could show them that escape was possible and so that’s what she did, clawing her way up the career ladder and making sweeping changes along the way, even when it didn’t win her any popularity contests with her colleagues. But that was okay- she had a pile of success stories instead, of children she’d watched grow into adults, with jobs to their names instead of convictions. She loved her job, because of what she could achieve with it, not for herself but for other people’s children.

She never thought that would change. Until now. Until she was sat here, staring at a building that she didn’t want to walk into.

Part of it was Eddie. That she would admit to, however reluctantly. It was foolish and childish but she didn’t want to see him, interact with him, not after the previous evening and she knew that if it hadn’t been the second day of term, she would have seriously considered called in sick. Something she almost never did, even when she was actually sick. But it wasn’t only Eddie, she thought as she climbed from the car and eyed the school apprehensively. It was the echoes of the fire that lingered- the smell of new paint in the canteen was as big as a reminder as the smell of smoke would have been, it was the way the school counsellor greeted dozens of more students in the corridors than she had before. The way Rachel could feel eyes on her as she moved through the school, heard the whispers and giggles that told her that her past wasn’t entirely forgotten. The way she was fairly certain she would see Denzil holding that gun each time she walked down the hall he’d been in.

She didn’t want to go inside. The thought settled deep into her chest, causing an ache that had nothing to do with the scar she could practically feel burning. She wanted nothing more than to get back into her car, drive away and not even to her house, because it was nothing but four walls and a roof she barely felt a connection to.

Rachel closed her eyes for a moment- she was a mess, and she couldn’t allow herself to be. Not when the school would soon be overfilled with several hundred students and staff who could smell weakness like a bloodhound. It was why she’d come in early, and now she was beyond relieved she’d had the foresight to do so. It meant that the corridors were empty, her footsteps loud and echoey as she walked to her office, pretended that the walls weren’t threatening to close in on her.

Her office was safer. Enclosed and private, here she could let the cracks show without worrying about being seen and she pressed her back against the door, blowing out a breath in sheer relief. Only to freeze when she caught sight of the white paper centred on her desk, where she couldn’t miss it and knew she hadn’t left it.

What did it say about her, she wondered, that she could recognise Eddie’s handwriting before she’d even picked it up? She almost didn’t want to read it, couldn’t stop herself from taking it from the desk and scanning it as quickly as she could.

_Rachel,_

_I’m sorry. I told you before I’m a bit of a prat. I’m in my classroom- come and see me?_

It wasn’t signed, but it didn’t need to be. Rachel could read between the lines, knew that unsaid- or rather, unwritten- was that Eddie hadn’t been waiting in her office in order to give her space. The thought took her breath away. He knew her, maybe not completely, but the parts that mattered. There was also the fact that he’d known she would be in early today, but she was decidedly ignoring that for now. The one thing she didn’t understand though, was what he was apologising for. He hadn’t done anything wrong in all of this, so why he was the one saying sorry she had no idea.

Unless… Rachel paused, looking down at the note. He’d seen her scar, caught a glimpse of just how messed up she was. And he was no longer interested. That was what he was apologising for, she realised, lowering herself into her chair. Because he wasn’t cruel, and now he felt bad and was trying to break it to her gently.

She closed her eyes, sucked in a deep breath that she immediately released with a gasp when it pulled across her scar. She hadn’t lost anything, she told herself sternly as she waited for the pain to subside. Eddie wasn’t hers to lose. They could still work together, still be friends and maybe one day they’d laugh about this, joke in relieved tones about what a good thing it had been that they hadn’t tried to start something only to crash and burn.

Yes, she decided, shoving down the flicker of pain in her chest. This way was better. And she should probably go and reassure Eddie of that, the poor man would probably be pacing a hole in his classroom.

**W.R.**

Twenty minutes ago and Rachel would have been right. As it was, Eddie had been on the verge of making himself dizzy, and forced himself to sit down and write out some lesson plans (he’d honestly meant to do them during the summer, but then he’d had Michael and gone out with some old uni friends and… well, he’d gotten side tracked). He’d managed a whole three words, when movement in the doorway caught his eye and he stopped breathing when he realised it was Rachel, who gave him a small smile that didn’t reach her eyes as she gestured slightly with the paper in her hand. “Succinct,” she said simply, and he shrugged, rising slowly to his feet.

“You know me- man of few words.”

Now, her smile looked more genuine. She came in, holding the paper simply for something to do with her hands and hoping he didn’t notice. “Eddie-” she began but he held up his hand, quickly cutting her off.

“Will you let me say something first?”

But she shook her head. “There’s nothing to say. Can we please just forget this and move on?”

“No,” he said simply. She frowned, irritation and frustration flashing across her features. “We need to talk. Rachel, about last night-”

“Please don’t.” She was almost begging, eyes beseeching.

“I’m _sorry_.”

“You don’t have anything to apologise for.”

“I disagree.” He eyed her, something about the conversation not sitting right with him. “I shouldn’t have… the timing was awful, I should never have brought it up, not after yesterday. Not so soon after last year.”

Rachel paused, head tilting. It was an odd apology, not the direction she thought it would go in. “It doesn’t matter...”

“It does. It matters very much.” He took her hand and instantly she froze, stiff and wide-eyed. “You’re not ready, and I should have realised that. I tried to push and… well, I was a prick. And I’m really sorry, Rachel.”

She swallowed hard, and when she spoke her voice was barely more than a whisper. “Eddie…”

“I want you to know, I still… I know you’re not in the right place at the moment,” he continued, a touch awkwardly. “And if being friends is all you can manage right now, then I’m not going to pressure you for more. Not until you’re entirely comfortable and ready.”

Rachel was finding it hard to breath, her head spinning as his meaning sunk in. “I… I don’t… Eddie, you saw…” she raised a hand to her chest, right over where her scar lay underneath and his brow furrowed.

“Rachel, do you really think I care?”

Her jaw dropped and for the first time, Eddie saw her completely speechless. And he longed to reach out, trace his fingers over her cheek, brush that lock of hair from her eyes but he refrained, because friends didn’t do that, even when their fingers were twitching from the want to do so. Rachel was shaking her head, swallowing thickly. “It… how can you… Eddie, I saw the look on your face. It disgusts you. How could it not?”

His veins flooded with ice. He’d known that he hadn’t hid his reaction very well, but for her to have drawn such a conclusion? “It wasn’t the scar, or you,” he told her swiftly, almost tripping over his words in his hurry to get them out. “It was what it represents. Of what you had to go through, of what you’re still going through. Of just how badly you were injured and how close I… we came to losing you. But you can’t honestly think that it would change how I see you?”

That had been exactly what she thought. It changed how she saw herself, so why would Eddie, someone who barely knew her be any different?

Eddie saw the emotions written in her eyes, and blew out a soft breath at the realisation of exactly what her thought process had been last night. And without thinking about it, he reached out and pulled her into a crushing embrace.

Rachel grew stiff as a board. They didn’t do this- or rather, had never done this. Gentle nudges or playful elbows were the entire extent of their physical relationship, with the sole exception of the evening before. But this? This was new, and different and not in the least unpleasant. Eddie didn’t let go, and gradually she relaxed, raising her arms around his waist to hug him back. He was warm, the smell of his aftershave surprisingly pleasant and this wasn’t nearly as scary as she’d feared it would be.

When he did step back, it was with a bashful look on his face. “Sorry.”

She shook her head in silence, struggling to swallow down the swirl of emotions raging inside her. Eddie was watching her carefully, trying to gauge how she was without being too pushy. “Rach? Are we okay?”

She smiled, and it was small and weak but entirely genuine. “Of course we are.” She could have spotted the relief on his face a mile off, and her smile grew a little, became more genuine. Only now a flicker of awkwardness started, because where on earth did they go from here?

They were saved by a loud crash from somewhere down the corridor, followed by jeers and hooting. Eddie shot her a grin. “Bath time at the zoo is starting,” he quipped lightly and she let out a surprised laugh.

“I haven’t heard that phrase in years.”

“Now does that say something about the phrase or you?”

She elbowed him without thinking, laughing as she went to investigate the noise and just like that, they were okay.

The crash turned out to be nothing more than a sixth former’s folders taking a trip down the stairs, but the influx of students made it easier for Rachel and Eddie to part ways without too much awkwardness. And when Eddie turned up for lunch to find the only empty seat was next to the headteacher, he took it without hesitation, seamlessly joining in the conversation before he had to leave for playground duty (much to Steph’s smug satisfaction). Rachel was relieved at his appearance- she was being none-too-subtly interrogated about the extended services project and she was running out of ways to dance around it.

“Tom, how are Chlo and Donte doing?” Eddie asked loudly. “I saw them holding hands, so I take it the summer went well.”

“I think he’s unofficially moved in, if I’m honest.”

He sounded remarkably calm considering he was discussing his teenager, Eddie thought, but what did he know? Michael wasn’t even in school yet. But his comment had worked, the conversation had jumped forward and Rachel was out of the firing line. She gave him a nudge, drawing his attention. “Thanks.”

“We’re a team,” he said simply, hoping she caught the deeper meaning to his words. “I have your back.”

Jasmine asked him a question before Rachel could respond, drawing him into the conversation which had somehow ended up on exam dates and so he didn’t notice Rachel’s stunned reaction, the way she retreated into her own world as she mulled over his words. She had no idea how she’d inspired such loyalty in him, but she was glad of it. Even if it did mean they were going to have to have another conversation, especially when Grantley brought up the interviews from the previous day. She shot him an exasperated look. “We ended up being a bit distracted,” she said dryly. “We haven’t even finished the paperwork yet. Besides, don’t you have enough to do with the beginning of the year at the moment?”

He harrumphed, and she and Eddie used the opportunity to make a hasty exit. She hadn’t intended to follow him outside, and it was unexpected to him as well, judging by the look on his face when he realised she was beside him.

“I need to talk to you.”

That didn’t sound good. “What’s wrong?”

Rachel shoved her hands in her pockets, looked out over the shouting students. “It’s about the head of extended services. One of the candidates.”

He eyed her suspiciously. “Which one?”

“Melissa Ryan.”

“The one you liked.”

She sighed, chewed her lip as rocked backwards on her heels. “Yeah. There’s something you should know.”

Unbeknownst to them, they were being observed from above. Steph had been on her way to the staffroom when she’d caught sight of the pair from the window and even if she didn’t know what they were saying, they were rather obvious in their body language. As she watched, Eddie suddenly spun on his heel, flinging out his arms with an expression of sheer disbelief on his face. Steph couldn’t see Rachel’s expression, but since she hadn’t moved, she could only assume that this time, Eddie wasn’t being overly dramatic.

Eddie was talking, waving his hands in the air and clearly agitated about something, apparently growing louder as Rachel seemed to shush him, glancing around as she stepped closer. The gesturing continued, and even from the distance she was standing Steph could see the anger on Eddie’s face. And removed from the situation as she was, she could see the way Rachel was shrinking in on herself, arms wrapping around her torso, a million miles away from how she would have reacted six months ago. Steph was just beginning to grow concerned, wondering whether to go down there when Eddie seemed to pause, and then after a minute, suddenly deflate.

Rachel must have said something right, Steph guessed, relaxing as the pair continued their conversation in a less volatile way, with a lot less hand waving at least. Rachel stepped forward again, so close now that she had to tilt her head to continue looking him in the eye and Steph’s eyebrows almost shot off of her head. It was an incredibly close position, and if it had been anyone else she would have sworn they were going to kiss. But that was ridiculous. Rachel would never allow such a thing in front of the pupils.

What she didn’t know, of course, was that Eddie cared a lot less, and it was taking everything in him not to reach out and pull Rachel against him properly. Not that she knew that, of course.

“Eddie?”

He blinked, and hoped his blush wasn’t visible. She’d asked him something, but he had no idea what. “Sorry?”

“I said, what happens now?”

He sighed. “Look, I won’t deny I’m not certain Melissa is up to the job. But we have precious few candidates, even less with those who pulled out after yesterday so if you think she’ll pull it out the bag… I’ll take the risk with you. Providing we fully disclose to the LEA before we do anything else.”

She looked at him in surprise. “We?”

Eddie blew out an exasperated breath, eyeing her. “What am I going to do with you? I told you before, we’re a team. So yes, we. Even when you’re being impossible.”

She grinned at him, not taking his jibes to heart as happiness flooded through her, not at the prospect of having Melissa around but at his words. A team, she thought warmly. She could live with that.

Above them, Steph was shaking her head in amusement. The pair practically radiated their feelings and she was honestly surprised the kids hadn’t started on at them yet. The bell rang, signalling the end of lunch and as she watched, Eddie wrapped a hand around Rachel’s waist to guide her out of the path of the incoming influx of kids, drawing her to the side and allowing his touch to linger for longer than necessary. She didn’t seem to mind, Steph thought, letting out an amused scoff.

“What’s so funny?” Matt came up behind her, but by the time he looked out the pair had stepped apart, both pulling up students on their uniforms as they came in.

“Nothing,” she told him, casting her bosses another glance. She was going to win that bet she thought gleefully, and if she was right- and when wasn’t she?- it wouldn’t be that much longer. And she couldn’t wait to say ‘I told you so’.


End file.
